When a barrister had accepted a brief, the duty to appear on a fixed date hearing could only be set aside by conflict with another professional duty. Counsel, who were also Members of Parliament, attending at votes in the House of Commons were not, in that act, attending to such a professional duty, and so … Continue reading Hesford v General Council of the Bar: IoC 20 Aug 1999
References: Times 20-Aug-1999 Ratio: When a barrister had accepted a brief, the duty to appear on a fixed date hearing could only be set aside by conflict with another professional duty. Counsel, who were also Members of Parliament, attending at votes in the House of Commons were not, in that act, attending to such a … Continue reading Hesford v General Council of the Bar; IoC 20 Aug 1999
Twins were conjoined (Siamese). Medically, both could not survive, and one was dependent upon the vital organs of the other. Doctors applied for permission to separate the twins which would be followed by the inevitable death of one of them. The parents, devout Roman Catholics, resisted. Held: The parents’ views were subject to the overriding … Continue reading In Re A (Minors) (Conjoined Twins: Medical Treatment); aka In re A (Children) (Conjoined Twins: Surgical Separation): CA 22 Sep 2000
The appellants sought to challenge their convictions for cheating the Inland Revenue. They were accused of having hidden assets and income from the revenue. The appellants objected to the use at trial of material obtained in a ‘Hansard’ interview. At such interview admissions are accepted as a basis for settling civil liabiity, but expressly excluding … Continue reading Regina v Sewa Singh Gill and Paramjit Singh Gill: CACD 31 Jul 2003
The appellants were barristers against whom wasted costs orders had been made. They appealed. They had made allegations of fraud in pleadings, but without being able to provide evidence to support the allegation. This was itself a breach of the Bar Council Code of Practice. Held: A barrister must not draft a pleading containing an … Continue reading Medcalf v Mardell, Weatherill and Another: HL 27 Jun 2002
The European Court had found the UK to have unlawfully treated differently payment of franked dividends between subsidiaries of UK companies according to whether all the UK subsidiaries were themselves UK based, thus prejudicing European subsidiaries, breach of EU Treaty guarantees of freedom of establishment and of movement of capital. The court was now asked … Continue reading Test Claimants In The Franked Investment Income Group Litigation v Inland Revenue: SC 23 May 2012
Standing to Claim under A1P1 ECHR The appellants had written employers’ liability insurance policies. They appealed against rejection of their challenge to the 2009 Act which provided that asymptomatic pleural plaques, pleural thickening and asbestosis should constitute actionable harm for the purposes of an action of damages for personal injury. Held: The insurers’ appeals failed. … Continue reading AXA General Insurance Ltd and Others v Lord Advocate and Others: SC 12 Oct 2011
Evidence Needed to Share Benefical Inerests The family home had been purchased during the marriage in the name of the husband only. The wife asserted that she had a beneficial interest in it. Held: The principles apply to any case where a beneficial interest in land is claimed by a person, whether spouse or stranger, … Continue reading Gissing v Gissing: HL 7 Jul 1970
Court to seek and Apply Parliamentary Intention The appellant challenged the practice of permitting cell nuclear replacement (CNR), saying it was either outside the scope of the Act, or was for a purpose which could not be licensed under the Act. Held: The challenge failed. The court was to give effect to the intentions of … Continue reading Regina v Secretary of State for Health ex parte Quintavalle (on behalf of Pro-Life Alliance): HL 13 Mar 2003
Same Sex Partner Entitled to tenancy Succession The protected tenant had died. His same-sex partner sought a statutory inheritance of the tenancy. Held: His appeal succeeded. The Fitzpatrick case referred to the position before the 1998 Act: ‘Discriminatory law undermines the rule of law because it is the antithesis of fairness. It brings the law … Continue reading Ghaidan v Godin-Mendoza: HL 21 Jun 2004
Cresswell J spoke of the nature of the duty owed by expert witnesses: ‘The duties and responsibilities of expert witnesses in civil cases include the following: 1. Expert evidence presented to the Court should be, and should be seen to be, the independent product of the expert uninfluenced as to form or content by the … Continue reading National Justice Compania Naviera S A v Prudential Assurance Company Ltd (“The Ikarian Reefer”): 1993
An application was made to disqualify as a company director a former director of Claims Direct Limited. He had been accused of several actions which might justify a disqualification. Held: The court found misconduct but delayed a decision on whether it was sufficient to found a disqualification. The court should look at such matters properly … Continue reading Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform v Sullman and Another: ChD 19 Dec 2008
